Change
by HannahWroteThis
Summary: A young selkie named Muireann awakes to find herself in the arms of Jack Frost with a gash in her side and her seal skin missing. Can Jack and the Guardians help Muireann find her skin, and more importantly, herself?
1. Chapter 1

Hey, guys. So, I watched_ RotG _the other day, and this story idea hit me while I was watching the film. This might or might not be continued after a while. I'm still coming up with a plot and everything. I just wanted to put this up to see what kind of feedback I'd get. So please, tell me what you think, good or bad.

BTW: My OC's name, Muireann, is pronounced like _"mur-in." _It's an old Irish name meaning "sea white, sea fair." Just thought I'd clear that up :)

* * *

_Change_

Chapter 1

It was a blustery winter day in Ireland. It was Jack Frost's doing, of course—his job was to bring the winter winds wherever he so pleased. Calling the chilly gale to push him forward, Jack ventured his way around the scenic landscape below him. Ireland was one of his favorite places to visit. Good for snowy winters, and home of the selkies. He loved to watch them dance, and he would mess with them by hiding their seal skins. They eventually found them, of course. To hide a selkie's skin meant you had complete power over them. Jack didn't want any of that.

The waves of the cold sea ebbed and flowed quietly, kissing the shore and retreating, a perpetual game between the sand and the surf. Jack smiled to himself. The sun was setting, and the Man in the Moon would be bright and full tonight. That's when the selkies would come out to dance. Jack lowered to the surface of the water and grazed his fingers against the reflective sea. Ice appeared where his fingers touched. It was his way of letting them know he was in their presence.

He settled down on the rocks by the shore and waited for the sun to set. As he waited, he formed ice balls in his hands and chucked them at the unsuspecting birds flying overhead. He chuckled as the birds squawked and flew away in terror.

"I've still got it," he mused to himself. As he spoke the words, he heard something moving about in the rocks behind him. Becoming curious, he turned and began crawling over rocks and boulders, cautious of scaring the thing away. Jack heard rustling again, closer this time. Maneuvering his way around, he came to the source of the noises. He took a breath to ready himself. When he peeked around the corner of the boulder, his breath hitched in his throat.

* * *

The selkies arose out of the iced water, laughing and shedding their seal skins. They knew Jack was there; the ice told them so. Man in the Moon shone bright in the star-spangled sky, bathing the bare selkies in brilliant moonlight. Their soft laughter filled the air as they began to dance; they waved their pelts as they spun and leaped. Males took females by the hands and paired off. One male was short a partner.

"Muireann?" he called out. He looked around, but could not see her anywhere.

"What's wrong, Fionn; scare Muireann off with yer human form?" another male, Tadhg, called to the confused selkie as he waltzed by. He and his partner laughed.

"No, she's not here at all. I haven't seen her all day," Fionn called back, worried.

"She went sunbathing this morning. Maybe she just decided to stay here until the dancing," Tadhg's partner, Maebh, commented.

"Or maybe she got her pelt stolen," Tadhg winked. Fionn frowned at him.

"Don't say that. You know how she feels about that."

"It's a possibility," Tadhg shrugged. He and Maebh went back to dancing. Tying his skin around his waist, Fionn set out to find Muireann.

* * *

_When he peeked around the corner of the boulder, his breath hitched in his throat._ There, jammed between two large rocks, lay a small girl; naked, bleeding, curled up and shaking like a leaf. By the spots on her back, shoulders and legs, Jack knew she was a selkie. He hopped down from his boulder, landing on his feet quietly behind the poor girl. Crouching down, he looked closely at the gash in her side that was bleeding like crazy. Selkies were naturally pale, but she looked sickly.

Jack leaned over the girl and moved her head so he could see her face. He brushed her snow white hair out of her eyes, and he realized who she was. Her name was Muireann, and she was one of the younger selkies. He had stolen her skin once, and she cried and begged him to give it back. He hadn't known it would scare her so much, and he promised her he would never do it again.

Pulling Muireann into his arms, he called her name softly. He put his hand on her gash to try to stop the bleeding. Jack saw her big gray eyes flutter open hazily. She was weak, Jack could tell. She opened her mouth to say something, but Jack hushed her.

"_Shh_, you're all right. Just stay still," he cooed. He put more pressure on her side, causing her to whimper in pain. A chilly breeze rolled by, causing her to shiver violently. More blood gushed from the wound. "Now's not a good _time_!" Jack muttered to the wind, and it stopped. Jack held Muireann close, wishing he had body heat to warm her. He was probably freezing her to death.

Looking to Man in the Moon, he whispered, "Please, MiM, send help. Tell North. Please; she's dying. I won't let her die." Jack gazed down at the helpless creature that lay limp in his arms. "I'm a Guardian now, and I won't let anything happen to you. _Believe me_."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello there, reader! Here is the second chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Sorry these two chapters have been short. I'm going to try to elongate and elaborate more with each coming chapter. This story is coming along a bit slowly is all.

Reviews are always welcome!

* * *

Chapter 2

Fionn searched the island for Muireann. He called her name and looked in every nook and cranny. As he began to retreat back to his fellow selkies, he heard a male voice calling to Man in the Moon. He crept to the source of the sound, which was behind the boulders he thought too close to shore for Muireann to be hiding.

"Believe me," the voice whispered. Fionn looked around the giant stone to find a blue-clad, barefoot boy holding a girl in his arms. The girl was bleeding from her side, and he realized—

"Muireann!" he cried, his fists balling and his temper diminishing. Jack looked up in surprise. "Did you do this, Frost?" Fionn interrogated. Anger was filling him. He thought he could trust Jack! Why would he do such a thing?

"No!" Jack responded. "I found her here. I swear!" He looked to Fionn in desperation. "Look, if we don't get help soon, she's going to die."

"Don't say that!" Fionn exclaimed. "Don't say that about my sister."

Genuine sympathy filled Jack. "I had a sister once," he spoke softly. "I died saving her. The Man in the Moon is the only reason why I'm still here. I know you love your sister, Fionn. Don't let it happen to her. MiM might not be there to save her."

Tears welled up in Fionn's eyes. Jack's words affected him in a way that he was not sure of. He turned on his heels and ran back to the selkies. Jack watched him leave, hoping he would bring back someone who could help little Muireann.

* * *

"Somebody! Somebody help, please! Muireann in injured!" Fionn cried out. "My sister is hurt!" he continued. Slowly, one by one, the selkies ceased their dancing. They stared at Fionn as he ran to the shore. A few asked what was wrong; others stood in shock.

"Where is she?" Tadhg called out, letting go of Maebh's hands and running over to meet up with Fionn. Maebh followed, tears stinging her brown seal-like eyes.

"That way," Fionn pointed in Jack and Muireann's general direction. "She's got a gash in her side and she's losing a lot of blood. I didn't see her skin; someone might've attacked her and stolen it. If we don't hurry now, she'll die. We need to go!" He grabbed Tadhg's wrist and began running, dragging his friend along with him. The herd followed behind as Fionn led the way to Muireann and Jack.

* * *

Jack rocked Muireann as he waited for Fionn to return. He glanced around rapidly, nervously, his eyes darting from Muireann, to MiM, to the shore. There was blood all over his hands, all over Muire. He had nicknamed her Muire.

"It hurts," Muire groaned. Her Irish accent was thick.

"I know, I know. They shouldn't be much longer now," Jack said, not-so-reassuringly. He looked down at her, to find she was smiling impishly. "What?"

"Who knew the Mischief Spirit would be so concerned about a little selkie like me?" she smirked. Her seal-like teeth shone in the moonlight.

"I-it's my job to protect children," Jack stuttered.

"But I'm not a child. I'm a lot older than I look." Muire shifted slightly. Her hair moved, revealing her shapely body. "I'm a hundred and sixteen years old." She moved again, and gasped as her wound re-opened.

"You won't be a day older if you don't keep still," Jack threatened. He applied more pressure to her gash, using both hands. Muire whimpered. "Besides," he whispered, "you're still a child compared to me. Just hit my three-hundred-twenty-seventh birthday this year."

Muire giggled weakly. "And not a wrinkle in sight."

Jack winked playfully. "All this snow keeps me youthful and fresh," he chuckled. He looked around again. "Where is your brother?"

"Right here!" Fionn called, the herd following behind him. He knelt down beside Muireann and inspected her gash. "Siobhan," he said, waving a hand at an older woman. She came forward and sat beside Fionn. "Siobhan's our healer," he explained to Jack. Jack nodded.

Siobhan placed her withered hands upon Muireann's wound. She began chanting in a language Jack did not know; he guessed it was either Gaelic or some selkie language he was not familiar with. As the old healer spoke, her hands began to glow, growing brighter and brighter the longer her chanting went. Jack watched as Muireann's wound slowly began to heal. A few moments later, Siobhan removed her hands from the injured selkie.

"I've stopped the bleeding, but she is not fully healed. It will take days for her to fully recover," Siobhan said. "Without her skin, she cannot return home."

"I… I can't go home?" Muireann asked. Her eyes welled up with tears. A rare wave of compassion came over Jack.

"She can leave with me," the Winter Spirit declared. "I know a place where she'll be safe while she heals up."

"Where's that?" Fionn questioned. The herd looked at Jack curiously. Muireann turned her head to face him as well.

Jack looked them all in the eye before saying,

"The North Pole."


	3. Chapter 3

Howdy! Sorry for taking a while; sickness took over me and I did _not _feel like typing. But I'm feeling much better now, and I'm ready to roll! Hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy reading!

And remember, reviews are very much loved and appreciated :D

* * *

Chapter 3

"The _North Pole_?" Muireann and Fionn exclaimed in unison. They both sported bewildered looks on their faces. Neither had been past the rocks on the beach, much less the _North Pole_.

"Yes, the North Pole. I've been there plenty of times. Muireann will be well-taken care of. And the guy that owns it isn't half bad, either," Jack grinned. "And we'll help her find her skin. She's in good hands, I promise."

"I don't know about this," Fionn said skeptically. Muireann gave him a somewhat harsh look.

"Where else do you suppose I go, Fi? Apparently, I can't go home. I know I'm your sister, but I can't be attached at your hip at all times." Her face softened and she took her brother's hand in hers. "I'll be all right, Fi. Let me live a little." She smiled, and Fionn smiled back. Jack, on the other hand, felt awkward, being as he was smack-dab in the middle of this touching moment.

Looking up at the sky, Jack saw brilliant ribbons of gold beginning to expand across the starry atmosphere. "_Sandy_," he whispered to himself. He looked back at Muire and Fionn. "I know someone who can help us," he declared, "but I'll need to leave to find him. I'll be back, I promise." He carefully scooped Muire into his arms, placed her in Fionn's and took off with the wind.

* * *

"Sandy!" Jack yelled, startling the short Sand Man. Sandy jumped and smiled brightly at Jack. He waved and floated over to him on his golden cloud.

"_What brings you here_?" Sandy's face seemed to inquire, complimented with a golden question mark above his head.

"There's an injured selkie down by the shore. I need to get her to North," Jack informed him. Sandy pointed at his ribbons of gold a bit desperately. "_Fine_, you can finish your rounds," Jack huffed impatiently. Sandy quickly finished filling the children's dreams with their wildest fantasies and hurried off with Jack.

* * *

Muireann shivered in Fionn's arms. They waited for a long while, hoping and praying that Jack would return.

"That fecking eejit better be back, or I swear I'll reef him !" Muire threatened. Fionn laughed.

"He may be the mischief spirit, but I think he keeps to his word," Fionn reasoned. "You were never one to be patient, anyways."

"You know me so well," Muire giggled. Moments later, they saw Jack and a small man on a golden cloud coming towards them. "Is that the Sand Man?" she asked.

"I think so," her brother replied. Jack's bare feet landed on the ground beside the selkie siblings. Sandy hovered beside them.

"Fionn, Muireann, I'd like you two to meet Sandy," Jack said, swinging outstretched arms in Sandy's direction as he introduced him. Sandy smiled at them, lowered his head, and bowed. The siblings waved. "Sandy can send a vision to North and let him know to come here. We should be at the North Pole in no time," Jack explained. He turned to Sandy. "I need you to tell North that the girl, Muireann, is in trouble. She needs to stay at the North Pole. Tell him to bring a yeti or two and some clothes. I'll explain everything else later." Sandy nodded and began concocting a vision from his cloud of dreams.

* * *

North, a strong, Russian man with snow-white hair and a belly-length beard to match, sat at his work bench, tinkering with a small crystalized rollercoaster. He set the coaster on its track and watched in pure wonder as it corkscrewed, loop-de-looped, and ricocheted around the room. He smiled brightly, his wise old eyes lighting up like a child's. Just as the coaster was turning the bend near the door, a gray yeti opened the office doors, smashing the coaster and tracks to smithereens. North's face dropped.

"_Frank_! What did I tell you about barging in?! Now I've got to start all over again!" the Russian barked, his accent making him all the more intimidating. He rambled off at Frank, cursing in his mother tongue and threatening to throw him out into the woods where he found him.

"_But sir_," Frank said in his yeti language, "_there's something wrong with the globe_. _There's a creature in trouble somewhere in Ireland_." And right then and there, Sandy's vision hit North like a brick to the head.

North saw Jack, the mischievous rascal, with a herd of selkies. Two of them—brother and sister, North assumed—sat on the ground. The sister had a visible wound in her right side. The vision changed, showing their location, and changing again it showed two yetis carrying clothes. The words "Help the Girl" resounded in his head as the vision began to fade.

North blinked a few times, and found that Frank was staring at him. "Frank, get Bob and some clothes. We're going to Ireland."


End file.
